Prisons to ban the playing of recorded music

The playing of recorded music in communal areas in British prisons will be banned from the beginning of next week (January 25).

Ian Poree of the National Offender Management Service has decided that licences to play recorded music in such areas are too expensive, and as such has taken the decision not to buy them.

As communal areas are officially public areas a licence to play music for a public performance is required under the 1988 Copyright Act.

“In view of the high cost, the financial constraints on the service and the likely perception of spending large amounts of money on music for prisoners, the decision has been taken not to purchase a licence,” Poree wrote in a leaked internal document, reports The Guardian.

Prison staff still have the go-ahead to show videos and DVDs in communal areas, as the licences for those have been obtained.